Pfc John Jodka, the subject of my article in yesterday's Washington Times op-ed piece has had the charges against him reduced!

In a surprising move, military prosecutors announced they would not seek the death penalty against him.

I will update you with details later.

It's official...and...'Yes' we are off to Camp Pendleton. We will broadcast the show live this Saturday, August 26th from 4-6 PST in a location across the street from the main gate entrance of Pendleton.

Specifically we will be broadcasting from the parking lot of Denny's Restaurant (across  from the main gate entrance). The address is:

487 Harbor S.    Oceanside, CA 

This makes us THE ONLY TALK SHOW IN AMERICA TO BROADCAST LIVE FROM  CAMP PENDLETON during the Pendleton 8 saga.

Among my scheduled all star guest lineup are:

1.Family members and defense attorneys of the imprisoned marines
2.Former Reagan Asst. Secretary of Defense, Frank Gaffney
3.The producer of the new hit movie World Trade Center, Michael Shamburg
...PLUS...several supporters of The Pendleton 8 who want their opinion heard.

An invitation has also been extended to congressman John Murtha (D-PA). 

If you are in the area come join us! 

Otherwise listen online at kcbq.com  or on the radio at 1170KCBQ.

Check back for details of my interview with family members and defense attorneys.

As of this moment we are still working our way through logistical problems regarding broadcasting Saturday's show from Camp Pendleton (ie: getting approval to use federal land, wireless connection, etc.)  however, those issues are being "worked through" and we should be making an announcement in the morning. We are optimistic of a workable solution.

In the meantime some excellant high profile guests have confirmed and will be joining us on Saturday. Two of the confirmed guests are: Former Reagan Asst. Defense Secretary Frank Gaffney and the producer of the new hit movie World Trade Center , Michael Shamberg.  

It's shaping up to be a great show...check back for final details.

Rick Amato is a radio talk show host on 1170 KCBQ in San Diego, a Washington Times columnist and frequent guest on CNN.

This will make The Rick Amato Show as the only radio talk show in America to broadcast live from Camp Pendleton during the “Pendleton 8” debacle. 

My goal is to further raise the profile of the plight of the imprisoned marines and to counter the presumed-guilty rhetoric of John Murtha (D-PA) and The New York Times.

I believe most Americans are mis-informed as to the situation. With the busy lives we live today if you ask most people what they know about the “Pendleton 8” you are likely to hear an answer like:  “didn't some marines do something wrong in Iraq and now there’s going to be a  trial?”.

Contributing to the presumption of guilt, is the fact that conservative lawmakers have been painfully silent on the issue. A scenario to die for, for any overly ambitious prosecutor worth his or her salt. 

 I will be extending guest invitations to all the local republican congressmen, Oceanside city council members and a few national names who I will reveal later in the week….and ‘yes’  even  John Murtha himself!  Of course family members and defense attorneys of the imprisoned marines will also be invited to join us on the show.

Given the amount of positive media coverage last week of my brief visit  to CP, I am hopeful Saturday’s coverage will be strong.

Rick Amato is a radio talk show host on 1170 KCBQ in San Diego, a Washington Times columnist and frequent guest on CNN.

Wow...talk about not mincing words! In case you missed it, the guests this past Saturday on my radio show were anything but  shy and politically correct.

First there was attorney Jane Siegel, whose client Private First Class John Jodka, is one of the eight marines ("The Pendleton 8") currently being held in a Camp Pendleton brig on murder charges.

If you are not familiar with the story, Jodka is accused of kidnapping and murdering an Iraqi man by the name of Hashim Ibrahim Awad. According to eyewitness accounts Jodka entered Awad's home, forcably removed him, took him to a nearby ditch...and then shot and murdered him. The allegations made against private first class Jodka are based upon statements  made by Awads neighbors.

Attorney Jane Siegel has an entirely differant take on what happened. According to Siegal, Jodka was part of a stakeout that was designed to ambush and capture or kill known terrorists in the area. Awad wandered into the stakeout,  showed no signs of cooperation, and after the rules of engagement were followed, he was  shot.

So how could the two parties, the government and Jodka's defense, have such radically differant stories? Don't they both have access to the same body of evidence? Therein lies the problem.For some unexplained reason the government has denied request after request by the defense to have access to it’s evidence. Access which it is entitled to.

The Pendleton 8 remain locked up in a brig, based upon allegations made by Awads neighbors, while the government denies their attorneys access to the evidence.

"As a former prosecutor, anytime my case was strong I welcomed the defense seeing the evidence", Siegel said. "Strong evidence forced the defense to have to come to us". Siegel went on to question the motives of the U.S. government and all but accused the government of playing politics by trying to look good on the world stage while the marine's fate hang in the balance.

Siegel made an even more chilling point. According to Siegel, terrorists and their supporters have just gained a new weapon in Iraq. "Think of the message it sends. First, supporters of terrorists now understand the damage and disruption they can cause simply by making allegations against marines. Secondly there's the message it sends to our marines. It has the effect of causing them to possibly hesitate while engaged in fighting a war".

If the Pendleton 8 are indeed guilty of the charges leveled against them, then clearly they deserve whatever punishment the military justice system can deliver. However, to keep these men locked in a brig- when they are not a risk of flight- and at the same time denying their attorneys access to the evidence of the case, not only raises suspicion... it is also just plain wrong.

It is time to release the men from custody and allow their attorneys the ability to do the jobs. 

Next I will explain why my guest TJ Bonner, called the President a liar.

Rick Amato is a radio talk show host on 1170 KCBQ in San Diego, a Washington Times columnist and frequent guest on CNN.